Wenyan
A programming language written in Classical Chinese, compiling to JavaScript, Python, or Ruby.
- Stars
- 20.3k
- Forks
- 1.1k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- TypeScript
- Last update
- 3.0 years ago
- Type
- Other
No commits in over a year — check for forks or alternatives before adopting.
What it is
Wenyan (文言) is a programming language whose syntax follows Classical Chinese grammar, so programs are written in literary Chinese characters rather than English keywords. The README says it compiles to JavaScript, Python, or Ruby, and it offers an online IDE for trying small programs in the browser. It is mainly useful as a novelty, a way to explore how programming looks in a different language, or a playful teaching example.
- Run the Hello World example that prints a line three times
- Try the included examples such as the Sieve of Eratosthenes, Quicksort, or Tower of Hanoi in the ./examples folder
- Write small programs in the online IDE at ide.wy-lang.org
- Compile a program to JavaScript, Python, or Ruby as described in the README
Great for
- Developers curious about non-English programming languages
- Classical Chinese readers who want to see code written in their language
- Teachers or students exploring how programming languages are designed
- People who want to try a language in the browser without installing anything
Not ideal for
- Teams building production software, since the README does not describe production use and the latest release is v0.3.4 with a last push in October 2023
- People who do not read Classical Chinese, since the syntax is written entirely in it
- Anyone needing a language with a large ecosystem; the README points to a separate package manager and community packages, which the README does not detail
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Node.js (npm is needed for the install command; exact version not stated in the README)
Install the command line compiler
npm install -g @wenyan/cli - 2
Run it
- Install the CLI with npm as shown in the README
- Run the included example with: wenyan examples/helloworld.wy
- Confirm the output prints 問天地好在。
- Or open the online IDE at https://ide.wy-lang.org/ to try code without installing
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the examples folder, which includes the Sieve of Eratosthenes, Quicksort, Mandelbrot set, and Tower of Hanoi
- Use the text editor plugins listed in the README for VSCode, Vim, or Sublime Text
- Check the wiki Syntax Cheatsheet and Standard Library Cheatsheet for language reference
- Try the wenyanizer decompiler to translate JavaScript into wenyan-lang
Downloads
Strengths
- Unusual concept with real working examples in the README
- Compiles to several mainstream targets, per the README
- Free and open source under the MIT license
Trade-offs
- Last push listed as October 2023, so maintenance activity is unclear
- README describes the language as not yet a general-purpose tool, and no binaries are provided in the latest release
- Documentation is mostly on an external wiki that was not included in the provided text
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| wenyan (this) | 20.3k | Other | beginner | 3.0 years ago | Developers curious about non-English programming languages |
| julia | 49.2k | Other | intermediate | 4 days ago | Scientists and engineers who write numerical code and want readable syntax with good speed |
| v | 38.1k | Other | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want to try a compact compiled language with a short learning curve |
| learn-python | 18.5k | Learning resource | beginner | 7 months ago | Beginners who want to learn Python syntax by reading and running examples |
| professional-programming | 51.7k | Curated list | beginner | 10 days ago | Software engineers who want to build professional habits and broader engineering judgment |
| reason | 10.3k | Dev tool | advanced | 1 months ago | Developers who already know JavaScript and want static types without leaving a familiar-looking syntax |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.